“People have always fought against anyone trying to impose power on them or trying to assert their status on them. That is true right throughout history, from written records onwards, certainly, you know, we have evidence of it, even in some of the most misogynistic societies on the planet, like ancient Greece, for instance. You can still see in legal records, for instance, or in written records, this tension, male anxiety, and women pushing back, you know, that is a kind of constant all the way through. And, not least, we have societies in which women do have more power and that is not seen as remarkable or weird in anyway by those societies themselves.”

So says Angela Saini, an award-winning science journalist who is one of my favorite guides through topics that are sticky—and sometimes icky—and also defining, like the origins of highly problematic race science, and the way the scientific field has come to understand and codify what it is to be a woman. In her first appearance on Pulling the Thread, she talked about science as fact—and then “science” that becomes ripe with human bias and interpretation. As humans, we can really mess things up. 

Angela has written two books interrogating the divisive politics embedded in the science of human difference, Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story and Superior: The Return of Race Science. I’m most excited about her latest book, though: It’s called The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequalityand it’s about the origins of inequality. As she explains, patriarchy was not our predetermined fate. It’s not biological, or natural, or inevitable. And women have been resisting our oppression ever since.

Her book is loaded with fascinating insights, many of which we explore. 




MORE FROM ANGELA SAINI:

The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality

Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story

Superior: The Return of Race Science

Watch her 2019 BBC Documentary: Eugenics: Science's Greatest Scandal

Angela's Website

Follow Angela on Instagram



Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“People have always fought against anyone trying to impose power on them or trying to assert their status on them. That is true right throughout history, from written records onwards, certainly, you know, we have evidence of it, even in some of the most misogynistic societies on the planet, like ancient Greece, for instance. You can still see in legal records, for instance, or in written records, this tension, male anxiety, and women pushing back, you know, that is a kind of constant all the way through. And, not least, we have societies in which women do have more power and that is not seen as remarkable or weird in anyway by those societies themselves.”So says Angela Saini, an award-winning science journalist who is one of my favorite guides through topics that are sticky—and sometimes icky—and also defining, like the origins of highly problematic race science, and the way the scientific field has come to understand and codify what it is to be a woman. In her first appearance on Pulling the Thread, she talked about science as fact—and then “science” that becomes ripe with human bias and interpretation. As humans, we can really mess things up. Angela has written two books interrogating the divisive politics embedded in the science of human difference, <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/17662/9780807010037">Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story</a> and <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/17662/9780807028421">Superior: The Return of Race Science</a>. I’m most excited about her latest book, though: It’s called <a href="https://bookshop.org/a/17662/9780807014547">The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality</a> and it’s about the origins of inequality. As she explains, patriarchy was not our predetermined fate. It’s not biological, or natural, or inevitable. And women have been resisting our oppression ever since.Her book is loaded with fascinating insights, many of which we explore.  MORE FROM ANGELA SAINI:<a href="https://bookshop.org/a/17662/9780807014547">The Patriarchs: The Origins of Inequality</a><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/17662/9780807010037">Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong—and the New Research That's Rewriting the Story</a><a href="https://bookshop.org/a/17662/9780807028421">Superior: The Return of Race Science</a>Watch her 2019 BBC Documentary: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eugenics-Sciences-Greatest-Scandal/dp/B08DRTX866">Eugenics: Science's Greatest Scandal</a><a href="https://www.angelasaini.co.uk/">Angela's Website</a>Follow Angela on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/angeladsaini/?hl=en">Instagram</a> Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a>

Writer Elise Loehnen explores life’s big questions with today’s leading thinkers, experts, and luminaries: Why do we do what we do? How can we understand and love ourselves better? What would it look like to come together and build a more meaningful world?

Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media https://lemonadamedia.com/  

Writer Elise Loehnen explores life&rsquo;s big questions with today&rsquo;s leading thinkers, experts, and luminaries: Why do we do what we do? How can we understand and love ourselves better? What would it look like to come together and build a more meaningful world?
Sales and Distribution by Lemonada Media <a href="https://lemonadamedia.com/" data-stringify-link="https://lemonadamedia.com/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">https://lemonadamedia.com/</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;

Advertisement